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A Talk by Lt. Col. Lorraine Barlett

Join Amnesty International USA (Northern Virginia groups) for a talk and discussion of an issue that has not gone away.

Guantanamo is a dark, foreboding symbol of what happens when the fundamental processes of law and justice are abridged in the name of security and vengeance. President Obama promised to close Guantanamo, but political wrangling apparently tied his hands. Guantanamo not only remains open for business but shows no signs of closing anytime soon. What will be the legacy of Guantanamo? Come join a thoughtful discussion about its implications for U.S. and international law.

Lorraine Barlett recently retired from the US Army after 27 years of distinguished service with the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps. She served as defense counsel with the Office of Military Commissions and represented a long-term prisoner incarcerated in Guantanamo.

HOW TO REACH

By Car: Free library parking available.

By Metro: Ballston or Virginia Square stations on orange line

For more info: CONTACT Thomas Pereira Phone 703/821-2203 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Below is an excerpt of Lt. Col. Lorraine Bartletst's piece entitled "Guantanamo's Decade of Shame."

"As a US Army attorney for more than 27 years, I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution from all enemies. But in recent years I have observed the undermining of cherished institutions that I view as the bedrock of our US legal system. I was appalled by the so-called USA Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act; in waging the "global war on terror" it seems our leaders had sacrificed liberty for security. I was dismayed by the systematic erosion of our rights, but constrained by my military status from speaking out.

As a defense attorney assigned to the Office of Military Commissions, I was detailed last year to represent a detainee, Ghassan Abdullah al Sharbi. Al Sharbi had been held almost ten years, largely in seclusion, and seen no member of his family. He had been force-fed and hospitalized countless times; I could not get any straight answers from government officials about his condition. Men like him are being driven mad, due to isolation and loss of hope. Some have even committed suicide.

I took the job believing that I might bring attention to the festering national wound that is Guantanamo. Instead I found an entrenched bureaucracy operating at a glacial pace, hamstrung by political infighting and inefficiency. I could not even send my client a letter without it being held up for weeks and read by government officials who laughably would assert some national security interest."